Improvement in rope-spool racks



B. F. FELIX & W. SGHARNWEBERQ} Rope-Spool Rack.

Patented Jan."29,-18 78.

III

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' Rope-Spool Racks UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN F. FELIX AND WILLIAM SCHARNWEBER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN ROPE-SPOOL RACKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 1 99,631, dated January 29, 1878; application filed November 2, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, BENJAMIN F. FELIX and WILLIAM SOHARNWEBER, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to which our invention appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a rope spool rack embodying our said invention. Fig. 2 represents a front elevation of the same, and Fig. 3 represents an enlarged detail section of the spool employed in sup- I porting the rope.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts.

The object of our invention is to provide a rope-spool rack for use in retail stores, and upon which a series of difl'erent sizes of spools for containing different sizes of rope may be arranged, and so that the different ropes may-be readily unwound from the spools containing the same as the rope is sold to the trade.

To that end our invention consists in the arrangement of the rack, and in the construction of the spools, as hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the drawing, A A represent the side rails of the rack, which are connected at the lower end by a cross-bar, a, and are arranged so as to incline toward each other at the upa per end, as shown in Fig. 2, and each of which is hinged at its upper end to a depending brace, O, which serves to hold the rack in an inclined position, as shown in Fig. 1, and con- 1 nected to the side rails of the rack at a point near the lower end by means of horizontal tie-braces d.

The arrangement of the braces G and the tie-braces 01 is such thatby disconnecting the tie-braces from the side rails of the rack the tie-braces can be folded against the braces (J, and the braces G folded against the side rails, so as to be more conveniently shipped, and so as to occupy less space when not in use.

D represents the series of spools, which are each journaled in suitable bearin gs c e, attached to the front edge of the side rails of the rack, as shown in Fig. 1, and are so arranged as to allow the spools to be removed from them when desired.

The flanges E E of the respective spools are adjustably arranged upon the axle or body of the spool, so that they may be moved to or from each other, and so as to fit against the ends of the coil of rope arranged upon the spool, and are each provided with a setscrew, f, which bears against the axle of the spool, so as to hold the flanges at the desired adjusted point when the screw is tightened,

and so as to allow one of said flanges to be removed from the axle by loosening the screw, so as to admit of arranging the coil of rope upon the spool. The flanges E E are provided on their inner faces with a series of sharp-pointed spurs, g, which project inward in planes parallel with the plane of the axle, and so as to engage the ends of the coil of rope, as shown at h h, Fig. 2, the object of which is to hold the coil concentric upon the axle of the spool should the central opening through the coil be greater than the diameter of the axle.

G represents a measuring-rule, which is provided with an ordinary measuring-scale, and is pivoted to one of the side rails of the rack, so as to admit of being folded against the same, as shown by dotted lines, Fig. 1, when not in use, or adjusted to a longitudinal position when desired to measure the rope on the different spools as the same is unwound therefrom.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with the side rails A A, provided with the depending pivoted braces O and tie-braces d, of the series of spools D, each having the adjustable flanges E E, provided with the spurs g, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination, with the axle of the spools D, of the adjustable flanges E E, provided with the series of spurs g, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

- BENJAMIN F. FELIX. WILLIAM SGHARNWEBER. Witnesses:

G. R. HOFFMAN, N. G. GRIDLEY. d 

